Apparatus for the treatment of yarns



Feb. 13,1968

L. HORVATH APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF YARNS Filed July 13, 1966 INVENTOR. Z4008 Hon/Ar United States Patent Office 3,363,335 Patented Feb. 13, 1968 3,368,335 APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT F YARNS Lajos Horvatll, Wattwil, Switzerland, assignor to Heberlein dz (30., AG, Wattwil, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Filed July 13, 1966, Ser. No. 564,949

Claims priority, application Switzerland, Feb. 3, 1966,

Claims. (Cl. 5734) This invention relates to apparatus for the treatment the treatment of yarns consisting at least partly of thermoplastic material, and more particularly to a device for cooling yarns which have been plasticized by heat as is sometimes done in the false twist process.

It is known to impart a high false twist to multifilament yarns consisting at least partly of thermoplastic material in order to achieve certain desirable texturing thereof. In this process, the yarn is temporarily plasticized by heating same in the highly twisted state. Thereafter. the yarn is cooled to set the spiral-like deformstions of the individual filaments caused by heating the yarn in its twisted condition. In known false twisting systems, the yarn is usually heated by means of a hot air chamber through which it is made to pass, or by contact with a heated surface; and cooling is generally accomplished by leading the yarn through a region of atmospheric air at room temperature for a distance sufficient to allow the yarn to cool to a temperature substantially below its plasticizing temperature. In such cases, it will be appreciated that the higher the yarn running speed, the longer the air cooling zone must be in order to obtain a sufiicient effect. A problem is therefore presented by the fact that it is desired to run the yarn at as high speed as possible in order to achieve high and ethcient production, while maintaining the cooling zone as short as possible in order to maintain maximum control of the advancing yarn and to keep machine size at a minimum.

In attempts to resolve this problem, the art has developed devices for cooling the yarn after it has been set. For example, a tube has been used through which the yarn is made to advance and through which cooled air or gas flows. Such devices however have thus far presented certain disadvantages in that the cooling effect is not sufficiently efiicient to accommodate the high speeds which have become possible with modern high speed false twisting systems.

Accordingly, my invention contributes a cooling device for use in connection with false twist systems which obviates the foregoing difficulties and disadvantages and provides an improved cooling effect while permitting a cooling zone of minimum size.

In essence, my invention is directed to a suction or vacuum device for use in connection with a false twist system for texturing textile yarns by temporarily highly twisting the yarn and heat-treating the same while in the highly twisted condition, and which device comprises a hollow body member preferably positioned immediately after the heating device in the direction of movement of the yarn, the body member being connected with a vacuum pump or the like, and the surface of the hollow body being formed with at least one groove in which the advancing yarn may move, and conditioning a number of spaced apertures or holes communicating with the interior of the hollow body. The pressure differential between the interior and exterior of the hollow body will cause the yarn to be held in the groove, and the ambient air to flow towards and into the hollow body through the spaced holes thus to rapidly cool the advancing yarn.

As a feature of my invention, the hollow member may assume the shape of a closed tube of almost any desired cross-sectional contour such as circular, oval, polygonal and so forth, with a single groove, or with a number of parallel grooves where it is desired to treat a number of yarns simultaneously; and the grooved surface of the member may be domed or vaulted in contour so that the yarn follows a similar path, such an arrangement providing optimum yarn control under certain conditions.

I have found that it would usually be suiiicient simply to draw air at ambient temperature and humidity into the cooling device in order to obtain the necessary cooling of the yarn. However, in the event that the atmosphere in the vicinity of the machine is too hot or too dry, this air may itself be cooled or humidified as necessary and by any suitable means.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of comse, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures for carrying out the several purposes of the invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction as do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.

A specific embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description, and is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a false twist system embodying a cooling device according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates in vertical crosssection one form of a device in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional. view of another form of device according to my invention.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a false twist system wherein a multi-filarnent textile yarnZ of the type described is taken from a spool t and advanced between a pair of delivery rollers 3 into a heating device 4 in which the yarn is plasticized by contact with hot air or with a heated surface. Thereafter, the yarn 2 advances through a cooling device 5 wherein it is cooled and re-solidified. The yarn then advances through a false twist device 6 which imparts a length of twist in the yarn running back through the cooling device 5 and the heating device 4. Finally, the yarn passes between a second pair of rollers '7, and is then fed to a winding or take-up device (not shown).

In FIGS. 2 and 3 I have shown the cooling or suction device, comprising a tubular member 8 closed at both ends and rectangular in cross-section according to the illustrated embodiment. The upper or top wall is formed with a semi-circular groove 10 extending centrally and longitudinally in the wall; and a pluraltiy of spaced apertures or holes 11 extend from the base of the groove 10 through the wall 9 and open into the interior of the member 8. I prefer that the holes 11 be of a diameter of the order of 2.5 mm. and that they be regularly spaced approximately 0.5 cm. The bottom wall 12 is formed centrally with a nozzle or outlet 13 depending from the wall 12 and by means of which a vacuum device (not shown) may be connected with the member 11 to create a vacuum of about between 20 to mm.

of water the precise value of which will be chosen in each application according to the characteristics and running speed of the yarn which latter may vary between 100 and 500 meters per minute.

In operation, the advancing yarn is positioned in the groove so as to overlie the several holes 11, and a vacuum is applied through the nozzle 13 to the interior of the member 3. Thus, atmospheric air, or conditioned air if such is deemed necessary, is drawn from the exterior of the member 8 through the holes 11 so as to move past the yarn 2 and the adjacent surfaces of the groove 10. Because of the movements of the yarn and air as heretofore described, several desirable effects have been noted. First, the hot layer of air surrounding the yarn, and which is dragged along with the yarn from the heating device, is separated from the yarn and drawn into the interior of the member 8. Second, after removal of the hot layer of air, the yarn is brought into direct contact with cooling air which is drawn past it and through the holes 11. Third, the surfaces of the groove 10 and holes 11, are also cooled by the moving air so that the yarn, which is held in the groove 10 by the action of the vacuum and advanced along in the direct contact with its surface is contact cooled thus further lowering its temperature.

A further advantageous result of the present invention resides in the fact that the vapors of sizing agents and other preparations with which the yarns may have been pre-treated are drawn from the yarn and through the member 8 thus to obviate soiling of the false twist device 6, the rollers '7, or the take-up equipment or subsequent yarn treating apparatus as well as the atmosphere and other machinery in the room. Additionally, it is known that the false twist process tends to cause yarns to balloon around their own axes as they advance through the cooling zone, and that this ballooning can produce undesirable effects in the quality of the textured yarn; but the cooling device herein described obviates ballooning in the cooling zone because the yarn is held firmly in the groove 10 by the pressure differential between the interior and exterior of the member 8.

Where it is desired to provide cooled or conditioned air in lieu of ambient air, I provide an inverted channel member (FIG. 4) positioned over the top wall 9 through which I meter air of desired characteristics by means of a nipple 16. The channel member preferably engages the edges of the wall 9 to form therewith a closed chamber communicating with the interior of the member 8 through the holes 11. FIG. 4 also illustrates a tubular body with a domed top wall 9 and curved groove 10 which is advantageous where additional yarn control is deemed necessary.

While the device of the present invention is suitable for use in connection with the usual texturing systems containing a false twist device such as a spindle, it should also be understood that the present apparatus also finds application in false twist systems utilizing temporary mutual ply-twisting of several yarns without a false twist imparter such as a spindle, as described in application 4 Ser. No. 331,568, filed Dec. 18, 1963, now US. Patent No. 3,261,155; application Ser. No. 377,845, filed June 25, 1954, now US. Patent No. 3,261,166; and application Ser. No. 377,911, filed June 25, 1964, now US. No. 3,261,156.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have contributed by my invention, yarn cooling means for use in connection with false twist systems whereby the length of the cooling zone may be reduced to a minimum while at the same time effective cooling is achieved and vapors of yarn treating agents are drawn from the yarn to a suitable exhaust facility.

I believe that the construction and operation of my invention will now be understood, and that its advantages will be fully appreciated by those persons skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. In a false twist system for texturing textiles yarns wherein the yarns are temporarily highly twisted and passed through a heater while in highly twisted condition, a hollow member positioned subsequent to the heater in the direction of movement of the yarn, a surface of said member having at least one groove therein for receiving the advancing yarn, means defining a plurality of spaced holes opening at one end in said groove and at the outer end in the interior of said hollow member and said member having means for connecting the interior thereof with a vacuum producing device whereby a pressure differential is established between the interior and exterior of said member to draw air through said holes.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that a plurality of parallel grooves are provided in said surface each to accommodate a yarn, and Wherein means are provided defining a plurality of spaced holes opening at one end in said grooves and at the other end in the interior of said hollow body.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that said hollow member is an elongated closed tube.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that said surface having at least one groove therein is domed in contour.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that means are provided adjacent said grooved surface to deliver conditioned air to said holes.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,532,910 12/1950 Hayward 34-152 X 2,943,433 7/1960 Van Dijk 57-34 3,016,678 1/1962 Nesbitt-Dufort 57-34 3,085,389 4/1963 Wegener et al. 5734 3,237,392 3/1966 Crouzet 57l57 3,293,838 12/1966 Batsch 5734 3,327,461 6/1967 Wyatt 5734 JOHN PETRAKES, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,368,335 February 13, 1968 Lajos Horvath It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 4, line 3, for "1954" read 1964 same line 3, for "3,Z61;166"read 3,261,116'

Signed and sealed this 24th day of June 1969.

(SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

1. IN A FALSE TWIST SYSTEM FOR TEXTURING TEXTILES YARNS WHEREIN THE YARNS ARE TEMPORARILY HIGHLY TWISTED AND PASSED THROUGH A HEATER WHILE IN HIGHLY TWISTED CONDITION, A HOLLOW MEMBER POSITIONED SUBSEQUENT TO THE HEATER IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE YARN, A SURFACE OF SAID MEMBER HAVING AT LEAST ONE GROOVE THEREIN FOR RECEIVING THE ADVANCING YARN, MEAS DEFINING A PLURALITY OF SPACED HOLES OPENING AT ONE END IN SAID GROOVE AND AT THE OUTER END IN THE INTERIOR OF SAID HOLLOW MEMBER AND SAID MEMBER HAVING MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE INTERIOR THEREOF WITH A VACUUM PRODUCING DEVICE WHEREBY A PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL IS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR OF SAID MEMBER TO DRAW AIR THROUGH SAID HOLES. 